Everything I've read says a media reactors work better than media in a mesh bag. I use GFO, had cyano issues with carbon, but that could have just been user error I don't think I was testing properly.
Seems to be the consensus from what I've looked up as well. Any issues in adding GFO in a running tank? Will it reduce phosphates too much too quickly?
Also, can you add GFO and carbon mixed in the reactor? Seems like you shouldn't have carbon tumbling but wonder if anyone has done it another way to maximize use of the reactor?
I would start with half the recommended dosage of GFO and then increase in a couple weeks. You don't want to mix carbon and GFO. GFO needs to tumble slightly and if you tumble the carbon with the GFO the carbon will grind the GFO to dust.
I would start at 1/4 of dosage you'll be surprised how far it drops in a nano. I had one crash because of dosing 1/2 of the recommended. I would start slowly. You could water changes if your worried.
Got some BRS GFO today and the grain size is much finer than I thought. Any way I can still run this in the reactor without it slipping through the 2 bottom filter sponges?
It is personal choice but if you go with reactor I would go with biopellets unless you are doing exclusively carbon. but for me I decided to go to reactor when i reduced feeding to the minimum and then there was still algae issue but I tried to first solve the problem then use this as a fix. Good luck
On my last tank I ran a reactor with a mix of carbon and gfo. And one with bio media. Seemed to work well. Reactors are more money but do a much better job then a media basket
It is personal choice but if you go with reactor I would go with biopellets unless you are doing exclusively carbon. but for me I decided to go to reactor when i reduced feeding to the minimum and then there was still algae issue but I tried to first solve the problem then use this as a fix. Good luck